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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · file · rule · row · bark · game · root · press

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a document
  5. key — in music
  6. press — to push
  7. key — the most important part
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. press — a publisher
  11. root — of a plant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. rule — government
  16. game — a match
  17. root — the cause
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bark — to shout
  20. root — of a word
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. press — newspapers
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com